Elon Musk is facing backlash for allegedly violating social media platform X’s policies after resharing a parody video of Kamala Harris on his X handle. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is being criticized for not including a disclaimer on the post, which many argue could lead to confusion and misinformation.
Earlier on Friday, Musk reposted an AI-generated campaign video featuring the newly elected Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, making controversial remarks about President Joe Biden. The video, originally posted by internet personality Mr. Reagan, starts with Harris thanking Biden for “exposing his senility,” according to a report by the New York Times.
Musk’s post attracted immediate criticism because it lacked a disclaimer indicating that the video was a parody. While Mr. Reagan had labeled the video as a “parody,” Musk shared it with the caption, “This is amazing,” accompanied by a laughing emoji. This led to accusations that Musk was promoting misleading content.
Alex Howard, another prominent internet personality, publicly condemned Musk’s actions on X. Howard’s post stating, “This is a violation of X’s policies on synthetic media and misleading identities. Are you going to retroactively change them to allow violations in an election year?” His comments highlight the potential for such content to influence public perception, especially during an election cycle.
In April 2023, X updated its policy on misleading content, stating that content that is “significantly and deceptively altered, manipulated, or fabricated and likely to result in widespread confusion on public issues, must be labeled or removed.” Critics argue that Musk’s post should have fallen under this policy.
In response to the controversy, Kamala Harris’s campaign emphasized the importance of truthful and accurate information. Harris stated, “The American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering, not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.”
This incident adds to the ongoing debate about the responsibility of social media platforms and their influential users in preventing the spread of misinformation, particularly during politically sensitive times.
